Alfa Romeo Racing has confirmed Antonio Giovinazzi will remain in a race seat for the 2020 Formula 1 season.
After making his debut with the Sauber team at two races in 2017, this year has been his first full season in the sport.
The Italian has scored points at just three races this year, but since the summer break has shown similar levels of performance to more experienced teammate Kimi Raikkonen.
In a statement announcing the decision, the 25-year-old said: “I am very happy to be staying with the team for 2020. I am grateful for the incredible level of support I received in my first full season in Formula One: everyone in the team has stuck by my side since I joined and I am really looking forward to continuing our journey together. We learned a lot this year and I am confident we can make a big step forward next season. I won’t be a rookie anymore so there won’t be any excuses for me: I want to be competitive right from the start of the championship and repay the confidence the team has shown in me.”
Team Principal Frederic Vasseur added: “Antonio has done really well this year and I am extremely pleased to be able to confirm he will stay with Alfa Romeo Racing for 2020. The way he has integrated into the team and has consistently improved throughout his first full season in the sport are very promising and we cannot wait to unlock his full potential as we continue to work together. Antonio has emerged as a very quick driver, even alongside as tough a benchmark as Kimi, and we expect him to develop even further as his experience grows. His technical feedback, work ethics and positive approach will help us continue to push our team forward, and so will the consistency of an unchanged line-up for next season.”
Giovinazzi is part of Ferrari’s academy, and has previously performed test driver duties for the Italian team.
Assuming Red Bull continue with the same four drivers split across Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso, the news means all seats on the 2020 grid are now spoken for.